Ask Engadget: Best non-netbook laptop for around $400?
December 17, 2009
We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Todd, who’s looking to snap up a solid cheap laptop (for his father-in-law, no less!) before that fateful Friday in December. Have a look below and hand out some Christmas cheer, won’t you?
“My father-in-law is heading back to school in the spring and wants a laptop for Christmas. The only catch is their budget is around $400 and he does not want a netbook. He’s not very “tech savvy” at all and doesn’t need a hoss of a machine (not that $400 could get you one). We would like to get it for him as soon as possible and would love some input. Thanks for any help and Happy Holidays!”
We’ve already penned our laptop gift guide for 2009, but we understand the desire to get more input for this particular scenario. It’s tough to find a sub-$400 machine that’s not a netbook (and not a total heap), but we’re confident that one or two gems are out there. Spill it if you know it, cool?
Ask Engadget: Best non-netbook laptop for around $400? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft updating Zune HD Twitter to stop censoring tweets
December 17, 2009
Microsoft definitely copped some of Apple’s lame App Store antics with its tweet-censoring Zune HD Twitter app, so now it’s time for the infuriatingly vague PR-speak backtracking — Redmond just pinged us to say it’s “identified the issue” with the Twitter app and that a naughty words-enabling update is coming “as soon as possible.” That’s a pretty lame response, considering the “issue” is that the app is coded to actively censor tweets — not exactly an “oops” moment, you know?
Here’s the entire statement:
The recently released Twitter for Zune HD application has been abbreviating some explicit words in tweets when viewed on the device; however these explicit words do appear in their full text on the Twitter site or on any other Twitter client. We have identified the issue and are taking steps to update the application as soon as possible to ensure Twitter for Zune HD users are able to view tweets in their original state.
Flack silliness aside, it’s still the right step — let’s hope this update addresses the performance issues we noticed as well.
Microsoft updating Zune HD Twitter to stop censoring tweets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Palm’s Ares SDK goes to public beta
December 17, 2009
After a brief private testing period, Palm’s interesting Ares software development package has made its way into a public beta phase. Breaking tradition from Mojo — Palm’s other webOS SDK — the big news with Ares is that the dev environment is fully web-based with no additional tools needed for apps to get whipped into reality. Not only does that make getting started a breeze (theoretically, anyway), but Palm thinks that this is the way to bring mobile development to a whole new category of folks who may not come from traditional dev backgrounds — they want to pull in web geeks who’ve got the ideas and design experience but not necessarily the hardcore coding background that you’d normally need to take the next Air Hockey to production. Grab that sucker now and let us know what you come up with, alright? We’ll split the profits 60 / 40.
Palm’s Ares SDK goes to public beta originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Intel Core i3, mobile Core i5 processors coming January 7
December 17, 2009
We got to see a few Core i3 and i5 laptops and desktops in action at Intel’s pre-CES briefing today, although we didn’t get to run any tests. The mobile Core i5 systems on display were doing a fine job running Call of Duty 4, while the scaled-down Core i3 rigs were playing Blu-ray movies and World of Warcraft — not a bad demo, but we’ll let you know when we see some real numbers.
Intel Core i3, mobile Core i5 processors coming January 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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ASUS Eee PC 1201N debuts early at Newegg
December 17, 2009
[Thanks, Yoav E]
ASUS Eee PC 1201N debuts early at Newegg originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Acer gets in the Olympic spirit with special edition Aspire Timeline 1810TZ
December 17, 2009
Lenovo really went to town with its Olympics-branded gear, but while Acer is a major Winter Olympics partner (and keeping the spot for 2012 as well), it’s taking a bit more of a tame approach at the outset. This Acer Aspire Timeline 1810TZ, for instance, merely slaps some silver rings on the lid and calls it a day. Pretty classy, and the price isn’t bad: $580 for a 11.6-inch CULV laptop with 3GB of RAM and Windows 7. Perfect for the multitasking ski jumper in your life.
Acer gets in the Olympic spirit with special edition Aspire Timeline 1810TZ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Cyber Technology’s UAV perches, stares, makes us a little uncomfortable (Update: now with video!)
December 17, 2009
Update: Thanks to Randers for hooking us up with some video of the thing in action. It still makes us a little uncomfortable, all that staring…
Cyber Technology’s UAV perches, stares, makes us a little uncomfortable (Update: now with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Second Fuse UI video shows wild, dynamically lit 3D interface
December 17, 2009
We only got the briefest of glimpses at the new UI approach in Synaptics’ collaborative Fuse concept handset, and now TAT (The Astonishing Tribe, the folks behind the original Android UI), has posted a brief clip that gives a better idea of the full UI. It’s pretty wild, with some sort of rendering engine that really emphasizes depth, lighting and motion. We’re not sure it’s the most usable UI on the planet, but it’s certainly one of the oddest we’ve witnessed. Check it out in motion after the break.
Continue reading Second Fuse UI video shows wild, dynamically lit 3D interface
Second Fuse UI video shows wild, dynamically lit 3D interface originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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AT&T to offer ‘incentives’ to customers willing to limit data usage
December 17, 2009
AT&T exec #1: You know, our network’s really getting slammed with all these people using their unlimited data plans to download things and do stuff online all the time. Any ideas how we can fix it?
AT&T exec #2: We could put out more WiFi hotspots. People seem to use those. Sometimes.
AT&T exec #1: Sure, but that’s not going to make a dent in places like New York City. I mean, have you used an iPhone there?
AT&T exec #2: We have these things called MicroCells that people can use at home, if they live in North Carolina. Maybe more people could use those?
AT&T exec #1: Yeah, that’s good. But people like to use their cellphones outside their house too. What happens then?
AT&T exec #2: Well, what if we offered customers incentives to use less data?
AT&T exec #1: Now you’re talking! What sort of incentives could get them to do that?
AT&T exec #2: Hmm….
Well, readers, are there any incentives that would get you to use less data? Feel free to offer your suggestions for AT&T in the comments below. And don’t worry about actually paying more for data (yet, anyway), as AT&T ’s Ralph de la Vega is now saying that “we have not made any decision to implement tiered pricing,” which is a slight backtrack from previous hints to the contrary.
AT&T to offer ‘incentives’ to customers willing to limit data usage originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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BlackBerry email down / delayed in North America
December 17, 2009
Go
nna be a long day for BlackBerry users: RIM’s confirmed to multiple outlets that its BIS servers are acting up and that email services are being delayed — and we’re actually hearing that they’re just down, period. BlackBerry Messenger still works, though, so you can still BBM your BFF or whatever the kids do nowadays. No word on service restoration, but we’ll update you when we find out.
P.S.- That’s two months in a row with significant BIS problems — what’s up with that, RIM?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
BlackBerry email down / delayed in North America originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Starlight 64 stakes its claim for ‘world’s smallest’ N64 mod
December 17, 2009
Continue reading Starlight 64 stakes its claim for ‘world’s smallest’ N64 mod
Starlight 64 stakes its claim for ‘world’s smallest’ N64 mod originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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LED traffic lights don’t melt snow, do cause accidents
December 17, 2009
A number of cold weather American states are reporting their dismay at finding out that LED traffic lights are so energy efficient that they do not produce enough excess heat to dissipate any snow that covers them. It turns out, perhaps in an homage to bad engineering everywhere, that the inefficiency of incandescent light bulbs was previously relied upon to keep traffic signals unimpeded. The new LEDs do not achieve the same effect, which has resulted in a few accidents and even a death being blamed on obstructed traffic lights. Feel free to apply palm to face now. It’s not all gloomy, though, as the majority of people are said to treat a dysfunctional traffic light as a stop sign (how clever of them), and a tech fix is being worked on as we speak.
LED traffic lights don’t melt snow, do cause accidents originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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EyeTV iPhone app granted 3G streamability, App Store’s WiFi-only club hemorrhaging members
December 17, 2009
Happy day, iPhoners; your days of living life one hotspot at a time are over. You can now use that data plan for all its worth as more and more apps break through the WiFi-only iron curtain. Last week it was Ustream, the week before Knocking, and now EyeTV has released an updated app able to stream your own personal TV broadcast to your iPhone wherever you are. Assuming, of course, you’re not situated within a “coverage gap” — or a major metropolitan area.
Update: To be clear, this isn’t actually a new App Store app, it’s a webapp, available at live3g.eyetv.com via Safari and fed by an update to the service’s desktop client.
EyeTV iPhone app granted 3G streamability, App Store’s WiFi-only club hemorrhaging members originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hot Virtual Keyboard for Windows 7 is hot, virtual, multitouch
December 17, 2009
Thought that multitouch support in Windows 7 was only good for putting twice the smudges on your screen in half the time? Here’s the app that makes all those blemishes worthwhile. It’s the 5.0 release of Hot Virtual Keyboard, which provides the ability to do mindblowing things like hold a shift key while pressing another key to make on-screen letters bigger! Crazy, right? It offers a variety of flavors, including thumb-friendly UMPC models and even a pseudo-ergonomic one, complete with comically oversized spacebar, as apparently those with bad wrists have big thumbs. It’s all hugely customizable and could make text entry on that svelte new tablet of yours a little less of a chore — if you don’t mind fronting the $29.95 entry fee.
Hot Virtual Keyboard for Windows 7 is hot, virtual, multitouch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Blu-ray 3D specifications finalized, your PS3 is ready
December 17, 2009
In case plans by AMD and a slew of other tech vendors planning to showcase 3D Blu-ray compatible products at CES wasn’t a tip-off, the updated specifications are done. The key details? First, that the Blu-ray Disc Association has chosen the Multiview Video Coding (MVC) codec to store 3D, so that even though it is now providing a full 1080p frame for each eye, it will only require about 50% more storage space compared to the 2D version, and all discs will be fully backwards compatible, in 2D, on existing players. Better than backwards compatibility, the PlayStation 3 will be forwards compatible with the new discs — a new HDTV setup (the spec promises to work with plasmas, LCDs or projectors equally well) with IR emitters and glasses will still be necessary. According to the PR (after the break) we can expect Blu-ray 3D-stickered products in 2010, our only advice is to keep those responsible for the Cowboys Stadium abomination far, far away from it.
Continue reading Blu-ray 3D specifications finalized, your PS3 is ready
Blu-ray 3D specifications finalized, your PS3 is ready originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Wii Fit found to have ‘little effect’ on family fitness level, boredom seems to be the main culprit
December 17, 2009
In a new study conducted by Scott Owens out of the University of Mississippi, the Wii Fit was loaned to eight families and the usage and fitness impact was tracked over time — three months before they got the Wii, and three months after. The verdict? “No significant changes” in family fitness from the Wii. Interestingly, over the period of three months the daily Wii Fit usage declined a staggering 82 percent, from 22 minutes a day for the first half of the time all the way down to an average of four minutes a day for the last six weeks. The biggest winners here were the children, who did display some “significant” increases in the specific area of aerobic fitness, but we get the feeling that with a bit more stick-to-itiveness the whole family might’ve been able to raise its game here. Or maybe Nintendo could invest in making some more motion-controlled games that don’t become repetitive and shallow after two playthroughs.
Wii Fit found to have ‘little effect’ on family fitness level, boredom seems to be the main culprit originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Amazon offers $50 PSN card with PSP Go purchases, for tonight only
November 17, 2009
Hey impulse buyers, want a PSP Go? Amazon is offering a $50 PSN card for anyone who picks up the portable tonight, in black or white. Seeing as you’ll be having to spend that much on digital titles anyway, it’s a pretty good long-term $50 discount, bringing the suggested value of the Go to about $195. It’s still not as financially sound an option as a PSP-3000, but if you value style over price figures and disc-based media, this might be one of the best incentives before Christmas. Offer ends at midnight PT / 3:00AM ET — after that, it turns right back into a pumpkin.
[Via Joystiq]
Filed under: Gaming
Amazon offers $50 PSN card with PSP Go purchases, for tonight only originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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AMIMON’s WHDI wireless HD modules coming to netbooks and laptops
November 17, 2009
For as long as we can remember, AMIMON’s WHDI technology has been reserved for use in high-end AV components — HDTVs, Blu-ray players, set-top-boxes, etc. Today, the outfit has finally figured out a way to break free from its current box and get all up in the grille of the mainstream market. As of now, WHDI modules are being made available for netbook and laptop manufacturers, enabling portable PCs to send or receive high-def signals from other WHDI-enabled devices sans cabling. The outfit expects lappies with their tech built-in to ship sometime in 2010, and when we prodded for more information on who exactly would be taking ‘em up on their offer, the company stated that specific partners wouldn’t be announced for a few more months. Still, built-in support for beaming 1080p content from a laptop to an HD panel without a single cord? Major score.
Continue reading AMIMON’s WHDI wireless HD modules coming to netbooks and laptops
Filed under: Laptops, Wireless
AMIMON’s WHDI wireless HD modules coming to netbooks and laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Alienware M17x owners complaining of ’skipping, stuttering audio,’ with no fix in sight
November 17, 2009
[Thanks, augur]
Read – My M17x and it’s DPC Latency, Stuttering, and Lock Ups
Read – Notebook Review: M17x and DPC Latency
Filed under: Laptops
Alienware M17x owners complaining of ’skipping, stuttering audio,’ with no fix in sight originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Dancepants: the music stops when exhaustion sets in
November 17, 2009
We’ve seen some pretty tortuous fitness wares in our day, but few are as cringe-worthy as this. The conceptual Dancepants Kinetic Music Player is a rather vanilla looking pair of exercise pants, but the internal energy makers generate juice only when the wearer is in motion. In other words, kinetic energy is used to power the connected MP3 player, and so long as you keep hustling, the tunes will keep flowing. Not like you’ll really notice that Mambo #5 has stopped right in the middle of the bridge when you’re laying on the ground nursing a wicked cramp, but hey…
[Via Ecoterre]
Dancepants: the music stops when exhaustion sets in originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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